Unexpected
by EmpressV
Summary: Lana and Pete become closer friends than they have been in the past and discover there could be much more between them. (updated with final chapter)
1. The Funeral

Title: Unexpected  
Author: EV empressvader01@hotmail.com  
Rating: PG  
Pairing: Lana/Pete  
Setting: Future Fic.  
Overall Summary: Lana and Pete become closer friends than they have been in the past and discover there could be much more between them.   
Disclaimer: Superman/Smallville belong to DC comics/the WB.  
Feedback: I live and breath the stuff.   
  
  
Chapter 1: The funeral  
Summary: Pete helps Lana through a difficult time.   
  
  
Lana tried not to break into tears as she looked down into the casket. She seemed to be so alive, asleep, but alive. The color was back in her cheeks and it hadn't been for months. It seemed like she should be able to just sit up. But Lana knew she couldn't. She walked out the funeral home and tried to compose herself, but the tears finally broke free.   
  
Lana strolled along the sidewalk trying to hide her tears. She had to be strong, she was in charge here. Dean was her husband, he should have been handling the arrangements. But in Nell's eyes he had been "the one", so she tolerated him. At least she had tolerated him when she was alive. Before Nell had passed on she had the joys of love and marriage, something she'd wanted even as she raised her little orphaned niece as a single mother.  
  
Her eyes were clouded because of the tears she was fighting and she lost her balance and fell to the ground. Suddenly unknown hands were helping her up and helping her brush off.   
  
"Sorry, I saw you falling but I didn't get over here fast enough."  
  
"No apologies nec--" Lana began as she looked up. "Pete?"   
  
"Lana," he said with a smile.  
  
"How are you Pete?"  
  
"Okay. How about you?"  
  
"I don't know," Lana replied. "You know about Nell?"  
  
"Yeah, I meant to come by, but I wasn't sure... You need a ride?" Pete asked. "I was just putting my niece in the car when I saw you falling."  
  
"Sure," Lana replied.   
  
"Here," Pete said handing Lana a tissue.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
He opened the door and Lana climbed in. As she buckled her seatbelt she noticed a little one sleeping in the back seat in a car seat.   
  
"That's your niece?" Lana asked as he pulled off.  
  
"Yeah, that's Asha."  
  
"How did you end up with her?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You don't seem like the babysitting type."  
  
"I'm great with kids. Okay not so great with babies."  
  
Lana smiled, the first smile she had cracked in hours. Pete smiled back. Pete always had a cute smile, always reminded her of some mischievous little boy, no matter how old he was.   
  
"Asha makes it easy," Pete continued. "Anyway Sam and his wife are out of town and his kids are staying with my parents. Dad took Adrian, Asha's brother out for the day and then my mom got called into the office. So I got babysitting duty." Pete paused. "So where's Dean?"   
  
"Metropolis. I'm staying at Nell's old house. She wanted to buy it back before... It was so weird going back there. I mean across the way the Kent farm was just the same, except no Clark. And there was no Chloe in Pleasantville Meadows to go to. Gabe's also in Metropolis you know? After Chloe moved out there to work, he wanted to be there with his daughter."  
  
"Yeah, everyone's in Metropolis but me," Pete said.  
  
"I'm here," Lana replied. "So anyway, I go home to what I think is my house and it wasn't the same. The previous owners had repainted my room, remodeled the kitchen. Coming home just wasn't coming home."  
  
"I'm surprised Nell didn't stay in Metropolis. She lived there with her husband."  
  
"Dean said she would wanted to come home and be buried near her sister. She wanted to end her life where she began it," Lana had tears forming in her eyes again.   
  
Pete reached for more tissue. "You don't have to..."  
  
"No, it's okay. I haven't been able to really talk to anyone." Lana paused.   
  
"Is Dean helping at all."  
  
"No, he said I should probably handle the arrangements because I know Smallville so well. Except I don't want to handle it. I'm not going to say I always agreed with Nell, but I love her like a mother and thinking of putting her there with my mother and my fa--Mr. Lang. It just makes her death so real. See my mom and dad were always a fairy tale, but Nell was reality."  
  
Pete put a hand on Lana's. "I know it's hard. It's going to be okay."  
  
Pete pulled his hand away and Lana's missed it's comfort. She didn't really have anyone to lean on right now and it was good to hear someone say it would be okay.  
  
"How is it with your father, Mr. Small?" Pete asked  
  
"Okay, but you know he's not a really a father like your dad. I just met him too late for him to really be someone I can go to when I need the fatherly affection. I mean he's great in a pinch but--not really dad the way I use to think of my father."  
  
"I understand, I mean I think I do," Pete said. "Actually, I always felt like I was the weird one among you for have the all American family, mom, dad, brothers and sisters."  
  
Lana smiled.   
  
"You were lucky Pete," Lana told him. "Chloe's father was great. He felt like dad, not my dad, but a dad. He actually wanted to help out, but I wouldn't let him. I still feel like I'm taking advantage of him if I ask too much."  
  
"Lana, the people who love you. They don't mind, it's not a burden to them if makes it just a little easier for you. In fact, if it does, it's kind of a gift to them."  
  
Lana smiled again. They sat in silence for a moment.  
  
"Hey, you know what will make you feel just a little better, Ice Cream."  
  
"Pete, I'm not a little kid."  
  
"Who says Ice Cream is just for kids? It has very cheery effects on adults too."  
  
Lana heard a little yawn and turned toward the car seat in the back.   
  
"Looks like nap time ended just in time," Pete said.   
  
  
  
Lana didn't know where the hours went, but she spent the rest of the day with Pete. After spending the morning fighting tears, she was glad to have Pete around. He turned her horrible day into a good evening. At five o'clock his mother called him on his cell phone telling him 'bring that baby home and stop using her to pick up girls.' She was joking, but it was funny anyway. The fact was, they had lost track of the time.   
  
An hour after the phone call they arrived at the Ross house with Pete's niece. Mrs. Ross met them at the door. She greeted Lana with a hug and kind words of sympathy about Nell. Then she took the little girl from Pete.   
  
"Shame on you driving this baby around all this time," Pete's mother said to him.  
  
"Asha enjoyed herself," Pete said. He turned to Lana. "And she cheered Lana up a bit."  
  
Mrs. Ross took the baby and left the room. An eight year old boy ran into the room soon after.   
  
"Hey Uncle Pete," the boy said.   
  
"Hey Adrian."  
  
"You wanna play my new game?"  
  
"Nah, I got to take my friend home."  
  
Adrian looked over at the unknown woman. "Hi, I'm Adrian."  
  
"Hi Adrian," Lana said. "I'm Lana Lang."  
  
"She's pretty uncle Pete. Is she your girlfriend?"  
  
"Get out of here boy," Pete said.   
  
He laughed and ran up the stairs.  
  
"He's cute," Lana said.   
  
"Yeah, that's because you've known him five minutes. Give him a couple days."  
  
"He can't be that bad."  
  
Pete smiled. "Okay, he's not, but don't tell him I said that."   
  
They laughed together and then silence hung between them for a moment. "So I guess we better get you home?"   
  
Pete walked into the next room. "Mom, I'll be back soon, I'm taking Lana home."  
  
"Be a gentleman."  
  
"Always," Pete replied.   
  
Pete and Lana left the house together and got back in the car.   
  
"I love your family," Lana said as they got in the car. "You are so luck to have your mom, your dad, grandparents, siblings, nieces, nephews, family traditions, all that stuff. That's all I ever wanted."  
  
"You'll have it," Pete replied as he pulled onto the road.   
  
"I'm just use to losing family. First it was my parents, then Nell, then my father... who's sort of in and out. Family isn't a permanent thing in my life."   
  
They sat in silence for the rest of the drive home. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, in fact Lana cherished the silence. The music on the radio kept them comfortable.   
  
"Thank you for today," Lana said as he parked in front of her house. "I wasn't feeling too great when I ran into you."  
  
"Hey, I spent the day with a beautiful woman, no thanks required."  
  
Lana grinned at the compliment. In all the years they'd known each other she didn't really remember him saying those kinds of things. Pete got out and opened her car door. Then he walked her to the porch.  
  
"I hate coming back here. I'm outside of the house and it's like coming home and then I walk through that door and I'm in a strange place." Lana sighed. "You want to sit for a second?"  
  
"Sure," he said sitting down on the porch with her.   
  
For a moment they sat in silence looking up at the night sky.   
  
"The house feels weird, but the porch still feels right, so many memories, like my first kiss. My first real date was with Whitney and he kissed me good-bye on this porch."  
  
"That wasn't your first kiss."  
  
"What?" she said shocked at this response. "How would you know?"  
  
"Because I kissed you before that, in a basement. Jacob's 12th birthday party, we played spin the bottle."  
  
"Oh my god, now I forgot all about that, but that doesn't count."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I was 12 we had a five second kiss the lips, people were around us counting. Our lips didn't even move, we just puckered up and put them together."  
  
"Yeah, well I bet if I kissed you now you wouldn't confidently forget it."  
  
Lana laughed. "Are you coming on to me?"   
  
"I'm just saying my kiss now, it's unforgettable."  
  
"If you say so," Lana replied with a laugh.   
  
"I never did tell Clark about that," Pete said. "He was suppose to be at that party, but he had a family thing."  
  
"Why do you remember it so well?"  
  
"It's just one of those things a guy remembers. Especially since it was with my best friend's girl."  
  
"I wasn't Clark's girl when I was 12."  
  
"Yes you were, at least in his head. In Clark's head you were engaged to be married the day he laid eyes on you."  
  
Lana laughed.   
  
"Thanks for making me smile today. Goodnight Pete," Lana said getting up and moving toward the house. "I have some more stuff to do tomorrow and I should probably get some sleep."  
  
"Well, I'm free tomorrow. You need some help?"  
  
"Pete I don't want..."  
  
"Lana," he interrupted. "Just accept the help."  
  
She considered it.  
  
"Okay, sure, I could use some help."  
  
"Alright."  
  
Pete gave her a hug and then she went inside.   
  
  
  
  
When Pete arrived home his mother was putting dinner on the table. His sister was there with her husband and daughter. They were calling the children away from there video games when Pete arrived.   
  
"Uncle Pete," the kids said running to give him a hug as he came in the door.   
  
He hugged his niece and nephew and entered the dinning room with them.   
  
"I heard somebody was out with Lana Lang tonight," his sister teased.   
  
"I was just helping her feel better."  
  
"That's not what Adrian said," she replied. His niece and nephew giggled.   
  
"She's a friend."  
  
"A 'special' friend," Adrian said.   
  
Pete laughed at them. He didn't really think of Lana that way and not because she wasn't beautiful, but she was Clark's girl. At least, in his head she was always Clark's girl. It was almost impossible to think of her as anything else. In fact, he was only doing what he was doing because he knew it's what Clark would do if he could be there for her.  
  
******  
  
Lana and Pete spent most of the next day together. Pete drove her around, to the florist, to the funeral home, and wherever else she needed to go. Having someone there did make it easier. They went back to the house that evening and Pete helped her some last minute calls. Then they ordered some pizza and ate in the living room as they watched TV.   
  
"If Nell were here she'd kill me for eating greasy pizza in the living room," Lana said with a half grin. The grin faded into a frown.  
  
"You okay?" Pete asked.   
  
"I keep trying to think of this as business to avoid breaking down."  
  
"Maybe you shouldn't avoid it..." Pete said. "I remember when my grandfather died, my mom tried and tried not to turn into a sobbing mess. And the day of the funeral she saw her father dead in front of her and everything became so real she just fell apart."  
  
"If you hadn't shown up yesterday that probably would have been me. I had just come from looking at Nell's body. She looked like she was asleep and I was just waiting for her to stand up. Why couldn't I have been kinder to Dean when she met him? I knew as much as she loved me, as much as she would always love me, I knew she wanted a husband and maybe children that were hers. The thing is, I didn't want to share her. After my parents died, she was all I had to hold onto." Pete placed a hand on her back as tears began falling down her cheeks. "Dean could have been the most wonderful man in the world and I would have hated him because I wanted Nell to myself. Sometimes, I don't know why she loved me at all. I was so selfish."  
  
"You weren't selfish. You, Nell, Dean, you all ended up back in this house caring for her when she got sick. You stayed in Smallville back then because you just needed to find your own way and it turned out that meant the two of you separating sooner then you expected. Nell raised you for most of your life, she's responsible for most of who you are, and she'll always be with you."  
  
"But she's not here. Why did I let her come home to die?" Lana said with tears now streaming down her face. "Why didn't I force her to go to those specialist."  
  
"The same reason she let you stay in Smallville when she had to go, in the end you knew it was her decision to make."  
  
"I should have done something to change her mind Pete, I should have done something," Lana replied. "But I just let her slowly fade away. And now she's gone."  
  
Pete pulled her into his arms as she finally really broke down completely and cried like a little baby. She had been holding it in longer than she realized. So she cried and like a little baby and wrapped her arms around Pete. She cried until she was too tired to cry and fell asleep in his arms.   
  
Pete smiled at her as she slept. He'd always heard people talk about how angelic this person or that person was when they were asleep, but he'd never seen it himself. His brothers snored, his niece drooled, his cousin tossed and turned all night. So up to this point he hadn't witnessed anyone who looked like an angel in there sleep. But Lana was an angel in her sleep, even with cheeks puffy from crying. Is this what Clark saw when he looked at her? But she wasn't an Angel, was she? She was just a person. A person he'd never really seen outside the imaginary little world in Clark's mind. He'd known of her, they had the same friends, they'd shared a conversation or two, but he hadn't really known her at all. And today, the imaginary Lana was stripped away and he was left with a woman in pain and he just hoped what he'd done had made things a little easier for her.   
  
Pete decided it was time to go, but first he carried her up to the bedroom. He laid her in bed and pulled the blanket over her. Then he kissed her on the head. He turned to walk away, but her arm reached for him and grabbed his arm.   
  
"Don't go yet," she said sleepily.   
  
Pete didn't know what to do, he didn't want to take advantage of the situation. He decided to stay a little longer and crawled in bed beside her. He planned to leave when he was sure she was peacefully asleep, but that didn't happen.   
  
  
  
  
Sun broke through the windows and Lana snuggled next to the hard body beside her. She smiled in her half-awake state, glad for the warmth. Then her eyes opened and she remembered the day before. Suddenly she shot up in bed.   
  
"Oh my god," she said to herself.   
  
"Lana," Pete said coming awake.   
  
"Did we?" Lana questioned.   
  
"No, we slept," Pete said sitting up. She could see they were both still dressed.   
  
"Are you okay?" Pete asked  
  
"Yeah, it's just, I'm sorry."  
  
"For what? I'm not sorry."  
  
"I don't know, I'm..."  
  
Pete cut her off with a kiss.   
  
"There's nothing to apologize for, Okay?" Pete said.   
  
"Okay," Lana replied.   
  
Pete got up and headed for the bathroom. She heard water running fifteen minutes later. Lana got up when she heard the shower running. She took off the dirty clothes from the day before and searched for her flannel nightgown. It was something comfortable to walk around the house in until she could get in the shower. As soon as Pete was out, she would be in. However, just then the doorbell rang. Lana ran downstairs to answer the door. She was surprised to see Chloe, even though she knew she was arriving today.   
  
"Ch-- Chloe, I'm surprised to see you," she said nervously as she heard the shower still running upstairs.   
  
"Lana, you knew we were coming right?"   
  
"We?"  
  
"Yeah," Chloe said. "I came up with Clark. He's with his parents right now but he'll be over--"  
  
"Lana," a familiar voice began cutting Chloe short. Pete appeared wearing a pair of boxer shorts and carrying his shirt in his hands. "Where's your iron?" He asked. And then he saw Chloe coming in the door.  
  
"Hey," he said nervously. Chloe looked from Lana to Pete, both of them looked guilty of all the things Chloe was thinking.  
  
"I'll show you," Lana said grabbing his arm and rushing him out the room.   
  
Fifteen minutes later she was back in the kitchen with Chloe. She had fixed and pot of coffee and Lana avoided there stares as she served herself some of the beverage.   
  
"So you and Pete are an item?" Chloe asked in shock.   
  
"Nothing happened," Lana said. "And we're not a couple or anything."  
  
"As hard as it is to process, do you expect me to believe nothing happened after what I just saw?"  
  
"He was just... comforting me last night. See the other day we ran into each other and I was upset and he helped me out... and he just didn't leave."  
  
"Did you want him to leave?"  
  
"I asked him stay," Lana said. "But it wasn't... like that. I mean he kissed me but..."  
  
"He kissed you?!!" Chloe asked.  
  
"Yeah, that's it, but it wasn't..."  
  
"Okay, he just kissed you. The question is did you like it?" Chloe questioned.   
  
Lana looked away and then she smiled to herself. Pete walked into the kitchen fully dressed and there was a sudden awkward silence.   
  
"Coffee?" Lana questioned. He knodded and she poured him a cup.   
  
He knew he was the object of the sudden uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Glad you're here Chloe," Pete said breaking the silence. "But I think I have to be going. I'll see you later ladies."   
  
Lana walked him to the door.   
  
"Hey, I'm sorry if I stepped over the line this morning, with the kiss and all," Pete said as he turned to look at her.  
  
"There's no need to apologize Pete. We didn't do anything wrong, right?"  
  
"Right. Listen Lana, I'm not going to lie, I was... I am attracted to you, but I know right now I know it's easy to have confused feelings about things and I would never take advantage of that."  
  
"I know that Pete."  
  
She gave him a hug and he returned her embrace. As they broke the hug, they saw Clark coming up the porch steps.   
  
  
"Hey Clark," Pete said approaching him.   
  
"Hey Pete," he said looking a little perplexed by Lana and Pete's familiarity with each other.   
  
Pete and Clark shared uncomfortable looks for a few seconds and Lana dropped her eyes so she wouldn't make contact with neither. Then Pete stepped off the porch. Clark walked up to Lana, gave her a friendly hug.   
  
"Sorry about Nell," Clark said. "I would have--" Clark began as he turned to watch Pete pull off.  
  
"It's okay, Pete was--" she stopped.   
  
"Are you and Pete--"  
  
"No," she said quickly. "Pete was-- he was just... here."  
  
Clark nodded. Chloe walked onto the porch.   
  
"Hey Clark," Chloe said. "Did you here there's romance blossoming between our two good friends here."  
  
Lana looked away. "Chloe don't--"  
  
"Why?"  
  
Just then Chloe caught the look in Clark's face.   
  
"Oh," Chloe said. "Well we'll talk later, this probably isn't the time anyway."   
  
Chloe gave Lana a hug and a friendly kiss. Then she walked away.   
  
"Chloe's just kidding around," Lana said.  
  
"well, we aren't-- I mean if--"  
  
"Clark, nothing's going on. He's not my boyfriend or my lover. We're not dating. Chloe's just-- being Chloe."  
  
"If you say so."  
  
"Do you want to come in?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Clark came in and they sat together talking for a few minutes. What began as something else, a friends shoulder to cry on, became the Pete/Lana scandal. Lana could see that in Clark's eyes.   
  
  
The next day brought reality crashing back down as friends and family arrived for the wake. It was a long day and Lana was glad to see the last of friends and family part from her home after the funeral. Well, except for Chloe, Pete, and Clark who stuck around to help her clean up. Chloe left first she HAD to be back in Metropolis, but Pete and Clark seemed to keep finding something to do and Lana finally figured out each was trying to wait out the other. She couldn't deal with that right now, so finally she bid them both good night.  
  
  
*****  
  
  
After Lana threw them out, Pete and Clark went to the Kent farm. They spent some time with his parents and then went and sat together on the porch. Neither had intentionally participated in the Lana stand-off and so far neither had brought it up.  
  
"Pete," Clark began. "If you and Lana--"  
  
"Clark," Pete said cutting him off. "I was just helping out a friend. I mean she was kind of trying to handle it on her own and she just needed somebody to be there. We're not dating or anything. I wouldn't do that to you man."  
  
"She doesn't belong to me Pete, I know that."  
  
"Really?" Pete questioned. "You know growing up she always kind of did. You woke up with Lana on the brain and went to sleep the same way. Lana would walk into a room and everything else just stopped for you. She couldn't have been more off limits to me if she was your wife. Hell, in my head she kind of was. When you actually had her, man I might as well have been dead to you."  
  
Clark laughed at himself. "Was I really that bad?"  
  
"Worse," Pete replied.   
  
"Well, I don't go to sleep or wake up with Lana on the brain anymore. There's too many other things to think about."  
  
"I suppose so Mr. Superman," he teased. "And I guess there isn't much room for your hometown girl now that you've met Lois."  
  
"Lois, Lois, Lois," he said to himself. "I don't think I've ever met a more hard headed woman in my life."   
  
"Have you met our own Chloe Sullivan, same gene pool, but with blond hair."  
  
Clark laughed. "You know, I still care about Lana, I'll always care about Lana and I'm glad you were here for her."   
  
"I'm no Superman, but I do what I can." That sat in silence for a moment. "I'm still not use to seeing you with glasses."  
  
"I forget I'm wearing now that I've adjusted to them," Clark said as he took off the glasses.  
  
"I can't believe a pair of glasses is all you needed to fool people."  
  
"I guess it's that whole hiding in plain sight thing. People are looking for something bigger than a farm boy from Kansas when they think of Superman."  
  
"It's funny how people let things blind them. Like me, because of your feelings for Lana I created this Lana blind spot that I didn't even know I had. And then I was forced to deal with her one on one and she was this... person all of sudden. The blind spot was gone."  
  
Clark stared at his old friend for a second.   
  
"You sure you're not interested in her Pete?"  
  
"No, it's just I just realized I didn't know her. We had the same friends and hung out in the same places and... I never really knew her at all."  
  
"Well, I'm glad you're getting a chance to get to know her."  
  
The two friends smiled at each other. They relaxed on the steps and continued to catch up with each other's lives.   
  
  
  
-End chapter 1-


	2. Jared

Title: Unexpected   
Author: Empress V.   
E-mail: empressvader01@hotmail.com   
Pairing: Lana/Pete   
Summary: After some time away, Lana returns to Smallville. Lana and Pete get closer, but there's a problem. Pete's girlfriend Rae. 

Chapter 2: Jared   


Pete's watch alarm went off. His brother was coming in for a visit today and his mother was throwing a surprise baby shower/party. He needed to get home. He had already missed the "surprise", but he knew his family and the "party" wasn't in full swing until midway through. He quickly gathered his paperwork into a pile and threw it in a box on his desk. He grabbed his jacket and ran for the door. As he rushed to his car, he nearly knocked over a woman coming down the street. He was lucky enough to break her fall. It took him a split second to recognize who the woman was. 

"Lana," Pete said with a smile as he helped her to her feet. "I didn't know you were back in town." 

"Yeah, My brother's christening his baby and our 'dad' forced him to invite me. It didn't matter, I was coming home anyway." 

"Yeah, I got an invite to the christening of baby Small too. Baby Small of Smallville. I feel sorry for that kid." 

They both laughed. 

"How is that job with your dad going?" Pete asked. 

"Not good. It's bad enough my half siblings think he overcompensates for me, it's just worse being the boss' daughter with people who aren't family." 

"That's too bad, well I have to get to the house? I'm late for a family thing." 

"Okay, I guess I'll see you around Pete." 

Pete turned to walk away and then turned back. 

"Lana, my dad he loves to cook, so when we have these big family things, there's never too many people. If you're not busy, you could come along." 

"Well, I'm not doing anything important right this second, but are you sure it would be okay?" 

"Yeah," Pete replied. "You're family."   
  
  
  


The Ross house was bustling with noise and activity. When Lana got there she was surprised to see so many people. Kids were running around. Adults not in the kitchen were sitting in various groups talking about different things. Pete's brother and brother-in-law were talking about sports. His mother and a few of her friends were talking about some recent case she had worked on. Some scattered adults were talking about parenthood. And a couple of teenagers were running there mouth about recent music sensations. 

Mrs. Ross saw Lana come in with Pete and came up to give her a hug and tell her how good it was to see her. 

"Lana, what are you doing here?" she said. 

"Pete invited me," Lana said. "I hope you don't mind." 

"Of course not, any friend of my son's is family." 

"Told you," Pete said with a grin. 

"Pete, is that you," a female voice called from across the room. A girl with short braids and light brown skin appeared in the crowd. She approached Pete and gave him a quick kiss. Pete's mother stepped away to attend to some other family memeber. 

"Hey Rae," Pete said. "Lana, this is my girlfriend Rae, Rae this is my friend Lana." 

"I remember Lana," Rae said. "We were in the same English class in high school. Not that I registered on her radar screen." 

Lana didn't respond and then Pete's sister-in-law called to him from across the room. Both Lana and Rae followed Pete toward his brother, Sam, and sister-in-law, Marie. He hugged her and said he was sorry he missed the surprise. Pete's neice Asha was a little older now. She yelled mommy about 50 times, interrupting any attempt at conversation. She saw Adrian when she came in. He had shot up a few inches. It was amazing how much a little kid could develope in your absence. It was so easy to miss a kid's life. 

Mrs. Ross asked for Lana's assitance setting up some of the games. She saw Rae quickly slip off with Pete. Lana knew a few faces at the party so she didn't feel out of place. Mrs. Ross then called for everyone's attention and they bagan the baby shower games. After that there were wishes made for the baby and Sam's family and the Ross family in gereral. They ate and opened presents. Rae seemed to intentionally keep Pete away from Lana. She almost laughed at the idea that the woman was afraid she would steal Pete away. 

After most of the guest had left, she volunteered to help Pete's parents clean up. A few family members were still left hanging around the house. Mrs. Ross made her pregnant daughter-in-law sit down when she tried to help and when she claimed she had to get Asha in bed, she gave the sleeping toddler to Lana and said it was taken care of. Mrs. Ross told Lana which bedroom to take the child into. 

Lana took Asha upstairs and put her in bed with one of her cousins. It really was like walking into an instant family when you were with the Ross clan. As Lana left the bedroom she ran into Pete's sister almost knocking her down. 

"Sorry," she appologized. 

"My fault, I didn't see you coming," she replied. "Pete's out back if you're looking for him, but Rae is out there." 

"Okay," Lana said walking off. She figured it was time to go home and wanted to say good-bye. Before she reached the back porch, she heard arguing.   
  


"Don't tell me that," Rae's voice snapped. "Even your nephew said she was you girlfriend once." 

"I spent a couple days comforting a friend once. She's not my girlfriend, she's not my ex-girlfriend, she's not my lover, she's not my ex-lover. God, she's my best friend's ex." 

"I want to believe you, but you showing up with her at the door as a couple and me coming alone doesn't send the right message to your family." 

"You're not with my family, you're with me. And I'm telling you, you are my girlfriend. I ran into a friend, I invited her to a gathering, and that was it. My family knows most of my friends, they're like family. If I had run into Clark on the street it would have been the same thing." 

"Did you ever spend the night with Clark and do the same things you did with Lana." 

"Who told you I spent the night with her?" 

"A 'friend' mentioned it. I didn't worry about it, because I figured it was just one of those things until she showed up on your arm." 

"Listen, I was just there for her. She was having a hard time, her aunt died. She just needed someone to lean on a little bit, so I let her lean on me. It wasn't a love affair." 

There was silence. 

"I guess I believe you. Your sister doesn't like me. I guess she thought if she told me that you and Lana were involved, I'd break up with you." 

Lana cleared her throat and stepped out onto the porch. 

"I'm going," Lana said. 

"Okay," Pete said. "You need a ride?" 

"I'm okay," Lana said. 

"Alright, I hope you enjoyed yourself." 

"I did, thank you." 

"We'll have to hang out some more." 

"Definatly," Lana said. 

He walked up to her and gave her a hug, then she parted company with the couple. So Pete had a girlfriend, Lana thought. That was certainly unexpected.   
  
  


The elevator dinged as it hit Pete's floor. Lana didn't know why she was here, but Pete did say they should hang out. Pete had called her last night to make sure she got home okay and they had spent hours talking. She confessed she overheard the argument with his girlfriend and they laughed about how they had suddenly become some type of mini scandal. They finally hung up when Pete glanced at his clock and realized it was three in the morning. 

Lana walked down to his office and knocked on his open door. The room was a mess, boxes tossed about, files here and there. Pete was on the phone and waved her in. She came in and sat down and waited. She noticed there were brand new file cabinets sitting empty in the room. Pete finally hung up. 

"Sorry, we're still a little disorganized after the move," Pete said appologizing for his office. 

"You really need to sort this mess out. How can you find anything?" 

"There's a method to my maddness. I'm use to living in chaos." 

He smiled and she smiled back. 

"Not that I don't love your company, but why are you here?" Pete asked. 

"I had some time to kill and I was wondering if an old friend would like to join me for lunch." 

"You're asking me out on a date?" Pete asked. 

"Pete, you have a girlfriend. Of course I'm not." 

Pete leaned back in his seat. "Hey, I don't have a ring on my finger." He leaned forward and lowered his voice to a whisper. "But we can't be seen in public together." 

Lana knew he was kidding, so she played along. 

"Then what should we do?" she asked 

"Maybe an office quickie." 

Lana burst into laughter. 

"Your're crazy Pete," Lana told him. 

"How dare you call the man you love crazy?" he asked standing with playful indignance. 

Lana couldn't stop laughing. 

"Are you coming or not?" Lana asked. 

"Yeah, let me get my jacket." 

"And when we get back from lunch maybe I'll help you straighten out this mess." 

"That might be more than a day's job." 

"So I'll be back. Unless you don't want me around." 

"You know it's not that," Pete replied as he got up to get his jacket. He met Lana at his office door. "I know you needed to get away after Nell's funeral, but I missed you." 

"Me too, It was nice, getting to know you. I mean we grew up together, but we never--" 

"Knew each other," Pete finished. "I know, it's weird, same two best friends, same town, same school, and we never really knew each other." 

"Well, we can change that." 

"I hope so." 

Pete presented a hand and Lana took it. They walked out the building together.   
  
  
  


That evening Pete had just slipped on his sweater when he heard the doorbell ring. He ran to the door and found Rae there. He told her he just needed to get his wallet and left the room. It wasn't until he returned that he noticed the look on Rae's face. 

"What did I do now?" Pete asked. 

"My friend Tara said she saw you and Lana walking together." 

"We had lunch. I told you she's my friend." 

"Do you hold hands with all your friends?" 

"No, but you treat women differently than you do men. Lana and I will never be like that, okay, it just can't happen." 

"Because of your friend Clark." 

"Yes" 

"Who's in Metropolis, proably dating someone else." 

"Rae, that doesn't matter. He's Clark and she's Lana and it's like destined for Clark and Lana to fall in love again, and get married and have a couple of Superkids." 

"What?" 

"Nothing," Pete replied. "Why does my friendship with Lana bother you so much?" 

"Because when it comes to women, I should be your best friend." 

"I didn't say she was my best friend, I said she was a friend. And what am I going to do, just forget everything before you?" 

"Are you cheating on me?" 

"No, Rae are you listening? We just aren't like that, okay." 

"Okay." 

Pete kissed Rae on the forehead. "I won't hold her hand anymore if it will make you happy, but you are my girlfriend, my only girlfriend. I've loved being with you these past six months, I'm hoping we can have many more months like it." 

"Okay, fine, as long as you don't hold her hand anymore, I guess I can deal with your 'friendship' with Lana."   
  
  
  


Pete was surprised when Lana actually showed up to help him out the next day. He told her about his argument with Rae the day before and they both made jokes about having an affair. After that day, Lana became a permanent part of his day. Every morning she came by the office and almost became an unpaid secretary. Other people in the office joked about Lana's presence. They usually had lunch together, it became an unspoken arrangement. They were only good friends, but this didn't calm the worry in Rae's heart. She saw something in there eyes when they were around each other. Little by little it was eating away at her.   
  


Pete was surprised to see Clark with Lana as she arrived at the Christening of Baby Small. It had been delayed quite a few times. First the baby got sick, then dad had a conflict, then mom had a conflict, and then the Godparents had a conflict. They had to by a new outfit because the baby outgrew the original one. Rae seemed pleased that Clark was around for the event and kept a vice grip on Pete's arm. 

Lana couldn't help but reflect on the energy of the Christening vs. the baby shower at the Ross house. That felt very informal and friendly. This felt like a bussiness get together. No one seemed comfortable. They were polite, but most looked ready to go home. When guest began to part, Pete, Rae, Clark, and Lana left together went out for drinks. They were all a little more relaxed then and chatted casually. Eventually they parted company, Clark and Lana left together and Pete and Rae went back to his place together.   


"You know," Rae said as she sat on the couch with Pete. "I tottally see what you were talking about." 

"Huh?" 

"Clark and Lana, completly meant to be. You could really see it when they were together." 

"I happen to know Clark he's... let's just say he's not as single minded as he use to be when it comes to girls." 

"What?" 

"His partner at work, Lois Lane. He kind of has feelings for her." 

"But you know he'll come back to Lana, you said it yourself." 

"Yeah, but I'm starting to think. Lana and Clark... it's, it's over." 

"It didn't look over to me."   
  


********   


"Hey Pete," Lana said coming in his office the next morning. 

"Lana, how was the rest of your evening last night?" Pete asked. 

"What do you mean?" Lana asked sitting down. 

"Clark and yourself," Pete said. "Any old sparks?" 

"Why, did he say there was?" 

"I didn't ask him. I'm asking you." 

"We hung out some and he went home," Lana said. "Why do you care?" 

"No reason. I mean Clark's my boy, if he's happy, I'm happy." 

Lana examined his face. "No way," she began. "You can't be. You're jealouse?" 

"I'm not." 

"Pete, I thought we were just--" 

"We are," Pete replied. 

"Okay, we are. Listen, I better not hang around today." 

"Why not?" 

"I just... need some air." 

"I'm not jealouse," Pete said as she left.   


****   


Pete pulled up to the Kent farm just as Jonathan was loading another crate into the back of the pick-up. 

"Hey Pete," Mr. Kent said. "I wasn't sure if you were still going to show up." 

"You need a couple of extra hands, I'm here." 

"Well you can start helping us move some of these crates." 

"Pete?" a questioning voice said emerging from the house. 

Pete turned to see Lana coming out the house with Martha Kent. 

"Hey, what are you doing here?" 

"Lana is coming to help us out in Grandville too."   
  


A few hours later they were driving toward Grandville. Lana sat with Pete in his truck, following the Kent truck along the road. Silence hung between Lana and Pete as they sat there. 

"Did I do something wrong?" Pete finally asked. 

"Why would you say that?" Lana asked. 

"For the last week you've been avoiding me." 

"I've been busy," Lana said. 

"Come on Lana, what's the real reason?" 

"I don't want to mess this up," Lana said. "We were becoming friends and I liked that, because we've all become sort of distanced. But then I figured out you were jealouse of Clark and it bothered me." 

"I wasn't jealouse, but Why would it bother you?" 

"We sort of pushed it to the side Pete, but we kissed. And it wasn't the same as two little kids playing around at there first kissing party." 

"No, it wasn't. It was two adults who shared a moment and I thought that's all it was." 

"So it meant nothing to you?" Lana questioned. 

"Why? Did it mean something to you?" 

"I don't know. Maybe that's the problem, we never figured out what it meant or if it meant anything." 

"You think we should have?" Pete questioned. 

"I don't know, I was going through a lot--" 

"And that's why I backed off." 

"I know," Lana said. "It's just, Chloe and I, we've been there. I don't want my friendship with you and my friendship with Clark to turn into a repeat of that whole Chloe, Clark, and me thing. And then there's Rae, I mean you're involved with her and I don't want to be a problem there." 

"I like having you around Lana, okay. I enjoy Rae's company too, but it's either going to work with her or it isn't. And as for Clark and me, it's going to take more than you to ruin us. No offensem, but we're like brothers. Clark certainly didn't permanently damage you and Chloe or Clark and Chloe or you and Clark. And the four of us, no matter what, we're friends." 

"I hope so." 

"I don't know what was going on between us Lana, but I miss it." 

"And Rae?" Lana questioned. 

"I like Rae, a lot, she's a good one, but I'm not married to her, I'm not even engaged. I don't have to shut off my life for her, or shut out a friend I've known for years. I mean I might be attracted to you, but--." 

"You're attracted to me?" Lana questioned. 

"Have you looked in the mirror?" Pete replied. 

Lana smiled to herself. "Well... I guess if we're being honest, I'm kind of attracted to you too." 

"Really?" he questioned. 

"Have you looked in the mirror?" Lana replied. 

They both laughed. 

"We better stop this now," Pete said. 

"Yeah," Lana replied.   
  


They arrived at the fair in Grandville a short while later. After helping the Kents set up and hanging arund with them for most of the morning, they told the two of them to go enjoy themselves. Pete and Lana walked around the fair, rode some rides, had there fortunes told and then went to treat themselves to some ice cream. That's when things took an intresting turn. They were sitting together talking when a guy walked up to Pete and punched him, knocking him to the ground. 

"What the hell?" Pete said standing up. 

Lana helped Pete to his feet and by then they saw a couple guys had jumped in to grab the guy who hit him. 

"Brady, why did you--" one guy began 

"That's Pete Ross man. He's the one." 

"The one that what?" Pete said. 

"Brady, you shouldn't have done that," a young woman said stepping into the commotion. She was carrying a two year old boy on her hip. 

"He hasn't even seen Jared. He didn't know." 

"Jared?" Pete questioned. "Who is Jared?" 

"Your son man," Brady said. 

"My what?" Pete took another look at the woman and the guy who punched him. "Brady, Jason's friend, I knew Jason in Metropolis?" He turned toward the young woman. "Janet? Oh my god." 

"Pete?" Lana questioned. "What's going on?" 

"I don't know." 

"This is your son, Jared," Janet said. 

"You have a son?" Lana questioned. 

"I didn't know," Pete said looking at Lana. "I had no clue." He looked back at the little boy and then at Janet. "Mine?" 

"Yours."   
  
  
  


Pete sat on a couch in the Mason house. Brady Mason was still fumming and his sister Janet asked him to leave the room. Lana had stayed with in Grandville with Pete even though she still didn't know exactly how they had ended up here. She thought about riding back with the Kents, but she knew that would leave Pete all alone with some very shocking information. And she felt like she needed to be here for him right now. 

At the moment Pete was sitting with his head in his hands watching the two year old play with a toy car. He was obviously trying to wrap his head around the idea he had a two year old son. 

"I had a boyfriend," Janet began. "When I first found out I was preganant I thought it was his." 

"Did you take a DNA test or something that told you he wasn't?" Lana asked. 

"No, I didn't need too. As you can see I'm white and so was my boyfriend. And Jared obviously is biracial. That's how I knew it was Pete who was the father. We were trying to work it out, me and my boyfriend, so I lied to Brady because I thought, I could still have my family with the guy that I love." 

"What do you mean you lied, what did you tell Brady?" Pete questioned. 

"I told him that you knew you might be a father, that you told me that you didn't want anything to do with Jared." 

"Why would you--" 

"I loved Adam, I wanted him to be the father, and he was, for a year, but I guess he didn't love me enough to stick around for a baby that wasn't his." 

"I'm sorry," Pete said. 

"What for, he left me and you didn't even know about our son," Janet sighed. "It's about time for a nap, so I'll take Jared out of here and let you and your girlfriend--" 

"She's not my--" 

"I'm just a friend," Lana finished. 

Janet didn't argue. She picked up Jared and left the room. 

"Who is she Pete?" Lana asked. She'd wanted to ask that question since Pete was unexpectedly assaulted at the fair. 

"I didn't know about her boyfriend, I didn't know much about her actually," Pete said. 

"But you slept with her?" 

"I was in Kansas City. It was a birthday party for a friend of mine, Janet and Brady's cousin, we went to law school together. Janet and I met, we talked, we got drunk... it was a one night stand. One time, one party. Haven't you ever--" 

"No, I haven't," Lana interupted. 

"Well, I did. I was protected at the time, at least I thought--man this is a mess." 

"What are you going to do?" 

"Do the best I can," Pete replied. "What is there for me to do. Just when I was measuring up to Clark Kent, I ruin your image of me with an illigitimate son. " 

"I don't expect you to be perfect and I don't expect you to be Clark." 

"Yeah, I know, I was just kidding," Pete told her. "You don't have to be here you know." 

"I know," Lana replied. "But you didn't have to be there during the planning of Nell's funeral. But you were. It's what friends do."   
  


*****   


It was unseasonably warm in Metropolis when Lana and Pete dropped into the city for a visit. Chloe and Lana had went out shopping for a new wardrobe to fill the closet in Chloe's new apartment in Gotham City, leaving the guys to hang out together. Lana was still shocked Chle was moving so far away. Lana filled Chloe in on what was going on with her and Pete, the most recent devolpment being Jared. She knew since Chloe was going to be moving to Gotham soon, this was going to be one of the last times she would have to coviently drop in on her friend like this for a talk. 

"I can't believe it," Chloe said. "Pete has a little boy he never knew about." 

"Jared's so sweet, I just fell in love with him. Pete's going to have him over his house next week," Lana told her. "He's been sending the mother money every month for the last two months. He's sending toys every time he sees something he likes. He just bought the boy new sneakers. He goes to visit on the weekends so the boy will get to know him. Even though he was surprised, he's really stepped up. Jared called him daddy last week and he got so excited. He tried to play it off, but you could see it on his face." 

"Wait, you go with him to visit his son?" 

"Yeah, I went with them to the park," Lana told her. "And I love watching him and that little boy, he's so excited and scared at the same time. I think he loves being a father and having this little kid look up to him like he's... well a superman." 

Chloe watched Lana get all dreamy eyed talking about Pete. 

"I cannot believe you have a crush on Pete." 

"I do not have a crush on Pete," Lana said. "I just think he's... a great guy... for Rae. Unfortunatly, Rae wasn't too happy to hear about Jared. I don't know how much longer they're going to last." 

"Which leaves it open for you," Chloe entered. 

"It's not like that with us," Lana said. 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what you keep saying. You and Pete are always together these days. I don't know how it happened, but it's obvious there's something between you two and I'm not talking about friendship." 

"I'm not saying there isn't something a little more, but we aren't going there." 

"Lana, just admit you like him." 

"Maybe I do kin of like him and maybe, just maybe, I think they're could be more, but I don't think he wants more or he would have said so." 

"Let me school you a little on Pete. Even though Pete never had trouble getting a date, the girls, they never mattered. Most of these chicks didn't stick around very long and he never really connected with them. That's what makes you different, he's involved with you. He may date whatever her name is--" 

"Rae" 

"Right, whatever, but he doesn't get emotionally involved really. See Lana, Pete has real feelings for you, I can tell, but you were involved with Clark and I think that worries him. Pete loves and hates Clark all at once." 

"What?" 

"Clark is Clark, people love him and he doesn't even really have to try, there's just something about him. And Pete isn't alone, a lot of people end up both loving Clark and hating Clark for that reason. It's hard to stand next to perfection and not feel pale by comparison." 

"Clark's hardly perfect," Lana replied. 

"You know what I mean, or maybe you don't since you never had to measure up to you." 

"Huh?" 

"You were my Clark, I knew you were just another girl when I got to know you, as messed up as I was, but in Clark's head you were perfect. And whenever he stepped into a room or he came up between us, you were all the things I could never be to him, in his eyes, you never made mistakes and everything you did was right. I mean you know I love you Lana, but at those moments when you were his perfection I hated you too." 

"Really, you really hated me?" 

"Don't take it personally, it wasn't about you or you and me, it was about how Clark saw you and anyway you know what they say about love and hate and the thin line between the two. Besides, that was high school and that's over now. We're talking about you and Pete. Pete doesn't want to get burned again and one girl already broke Pete's heart because of her infactuation with the charms of Smallville's Prince Kent." 

"You?" 

"Yeah and he's more fragile then he seems Lana. And I'm sure he's afraid, even if he gets your attention now and then, he'll never be as good as Clark to you."   
  
  
  
  


Meanwhile, in another section of Metropolis, Pete and Clark were walking togerher. Pete had just told Clark the complicated story of discovering Jared and shared a picture of the little boy. 

"Cute kid," Clark said looking at a picture of Jared. "Too cute to be yours. You sure you're his father?2" 

"Shut up man," Pete replied. "I get him on my own this weekend." 

"Lana going to be helping you out?" 

"Why are you asking?" 

"I don't know, seems like you two are always together now." 

"What you saying Clark?" 

"I'm saying maybe you're not being honest with me about you and Lana." 

"Clark, I have a girl, Rae. Have I shown you her picture? Have you forgotten that she's fine as hell. Not to say your girl isn't beautiful." 

"Lana isn't my girl Pete." 

"She'll always be your girl to me. I'm trying to make it work with Rae." 

"And yet you drove up to Metropolis with Lana. And you went to Grandville with Lana. And you talk about your son with Lana." 

"We drove up here together to see Chloe before she's off to Gotham and Chloe isn't Rae's friend. We didn't plan Grandville, I was there, she was there, and then the whole Janet thing blew up. And she sometimes goes with me to see Jared for that reason, she knows the situation she was there." 

Clark gave him the 'yeah right' look. 

"I promise," Pete said. "you'll be the first to know when something happens." 

"When something happens?" 

"I meant if, IF something happens." 

"But you said--" 

Suddenly Clark's attention was somewhere else. He was obviously hearing something that Pete couldn't. 

"Pete, I got to--" 

"Go, I'll catch you later," Pete replied. 

Pete watched his friend disappear and then there was Superman. He couldn't believe he was best friends with the most powerful man on the planet.   


******   
  


It was weird being back in Pleasentville Meadows. Pete's new house was four houses down from the house she use to live in with Chloe and Mr. Sullivan. He had been living there exactly a month. 

She knew Pete had arrived back from Grandville okay, because she could hear the two year old inside, crying. Lana knocked on Pete's door and wondered what was wrong inside. The first father-son, one on one, visit obviously wasn't going very well. 

"Hey," Pete said nervously as he opened the door. 

"Is Jared okay?" 

"Sure he's fine," Pete said. 

A piercing scream erupted from inside the house. 

"Okay, he's been screaming like that since I brought him home and I don't know what's wrong." 

Lana came in the house and found little Jared sitting on the living room floor crying. 

"I tried everything. I tried to feed him, I tried toys, I thought maybe he was sick, but he's not warm or anything, I even tried bribing him with candy." 

"Jared," Lana said walking up to the little boy. He was still crying as he looked up at her with puppy dog eyes. "Jared, what's wrong?" Lana asked sweetly. 

He kept crying, even though the loud screaming had diminished. 

"See what I mean," Pete said. "He won't stop crying, even if he calms down." 

"Did you just try picking him up?" Lana asked. 

"Every time I touch him he gets louder." 

Lana picked up the little boy. 

"Pete, he's wet," Lana said. 

"He wasn't when I carried him into the house. And that's when he started crying." 

"Did his mother send pampers?" 

"He's toilet training, he has pull-ups and clothes in the bag," Pete said. 

Lana grabbed the bag and the little boy. She disappeared into the bathroom. Pete sat and waited, the crying seem to fade into nothing. When Lana finally emerged from the bathroom Jared was quiet. 

"You owe me," she said. "He's changed, he's had a bath." 

Jared yawned as he rested his head on Lana's shoulder and locked his arms around the neck. 

"He misses his mommy I think," Lana said trying to release Jared's grip on her shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong." 

Pete took the boy from Lana and he started crying again. Pete gave him back to Lana. 

"This is just great, my own kid doesn't like being alone with me," Pete said. 

"It's your first day, give him time." 

The doorbell rang and Pete went to answer it. 

"Rae," Pete said surprised. "What are you doing here?" 

"I came by to meet your little boy. I figure I should try to bond with him if he's going to be in your life." 

"Pete," Lana called. "Where should I lay Jared down? He's sleepy." 

"Just take him to my room," he said to her 

"She's here?" Rae asked stepping in the house. 

"Jared knows her," Pete told her. "She calmed him down." 

"Of course she did, because she's miss perfect Lana Lang. I don't know why you need me when you have superwoman here, good friend, great mommy stand in, the only thing you need me for is the occasional booty call. I'm just guessing here, but miss perfect isn't giving up right?" 

"Rae--" 

"Don't give me the just friends speech again either. I've heard it so many times now and it's bullshit!" 

Jared jumped in Lana's arms at the sharp inflection in Rae's voice. 

"I'm going take him upstairs," Lana said. 

Lana disappeared up the stairs with the little boy. 

"Rae, why do we have to go through this again? Lana's not my girlfriend." 

"You may not be calling her that, but that's what she is. When the important stuff happens, like finding out you have a son, who's there holding your hand, who's there supporting you? If we're ever going to be serious, it should be me and it's never me, it's her. I think it's clear at this point we're not going to be serious, so I'm gone." 

"Rae, don't say that." 

"You're a good guy Pete, but I just can't compete with her. I hope Lana knows what she has in you." 

Rae gave him a kiss on the cheek and left the house. Pete sighed, locked the door behind her and went upstairs. Lana was sitting on his bed with the boy laying in her lap. Pete sat on the bed beside her. 

"What happened?" 

"Another one bites the dust," Pete said. "We broke up." 

"Don't sound so broken hearted," Lana said. 

Pete shrugged. "I suck with women." 

"I don't believe that," Lana said. 

"Well, I know how to play the game. I mean check out this face, who wouldn't love it?" 

Lana laughed. 

"But it just, never works out." Pete told her. "Well, I guess Pete Ross is once again a bachelor." 

"Except now he's a father," Lana entered. 

"Ladies love kids," Pete said. "Once he stops crying so much, he'll be a perfect babe magnet." 

"Pete!" 

"Kidding, I know he has to get use to me. And I have to get use to being a father. I mean, I'm uncle Pete. I hold my nieces and nephews, I play with them, but when it's changing or feeding time it's back to mommy, daddy, or grandparents. Out of all my nieces and nephews I've changed exactly two diapers. One of which was supervised. Same thing with Jared, his mom was there when I went to visit, but she did that stuff. I mean I knew I would have to eventually, but I didn't think-- So... You ready to call in the authorities on me yet?" 

Lana grinned. 

"Maybe you could just hang around this week." 

"Are you asking me to be your babysitter or do you just want me around as a diaper changer?" 

"Neither, I'm asking you... to help me... take care of my son." 

"There's a difference?" 

Pete looked at her, seriously, locking her gaze in his. 

"Yeah, there is a difference. I trust you, completely," Pete told her. "But if you want to get paid." Pete reached in his pocket for his wallet. Lana reached out and stopped him. 

"Don't be silly," Lana said stopping him with a hand over his. 

Lana leaned forward and Pete met the approach of her lips. They shared a brief, soft kiss.   
"Why did you?" 

"I don't know, but I think I should have done it a long time ago," Lana replied.   


****   


The Ross house was alive with life as Pete pulled up in front. Everyone was gathered at the Ross house to meet little Jared. Despite a rough first day, the week had went well. His parents planned a big family get together at the end of the week. His mother had come over a few times to see the little boy and his sister had brought her own children by to play with him. Jared fit in easily with the rest of his Ross cousins when they arrived at the house. Pete's sister and mother already had Lana and Pete married in there heads, so watching them play house all week was a thrill for them. But Pete and Lana hadn't really talked about what was happening between them. 

"My baby brother's finally a father," one of Pete's brother's said. "Sick of it yet." 

"He's a great daddy," Lana added with a smile. 

"And how long before you marry this one?" his other brother asked. "Maybe give her some kids." 

Lana and Pete looked at each other and smiled. That aroused some teasing noises. 

"You better hurry up boy, before you lose the best girl you ever had," his brother said. 

"I'm working on it okay," Pete told them. "Will you please let us date first?" 

"Pete," his brother said putting an arm around his shoulder. "Look what you're getting?" He said pointing to Lana. "Then look at yourself and see what she's getting. You better step up and grab her before she recovers from whatever drug you have her on." 

"You are so bad," Lana said. She looked over at Pete. "Besides, I like what I'm getting." 

Lana excused herself from the group as Pete got a couple pats on the back. She went into the kitchen for a drink of water. Mrs. Ross was sitting watching Mr. Ross cook. As usual, they were a friendly toward her. 

"Hey Lana, seems like you my son are doing really well now that Rae's out of the picture." 

"Don't put pressure on the girl," Mr. Ross said. 

"I'm just saying Lana's been good for Pete and she seems to be perfect mother material. You should see her with Jared." 

"Mrs. Ross I--" Lana began 

"Call me Mom," Mrs. Ross interrupted. "You're family." 

"Thanks, but Pete and I aren't... we're just figuring things out." 

"You're good for each other Lana?" 

"Honey," Mr. Ross said. "Stop it." 

"I just want to see my son happy. He's my last little baby and I just want the best for him." 

Just then Pete entered the kitchen. 

"Lana, I have to drop Jared off, so I better get going. Are you still coming along?" 

"Yeah," Lana said leaving the kitchen. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ross watched them leave together. 

"I give them a year," Mrs. Ross said. 

"Nah, Pete's like his old man, he's going to take his time with this one." 

"I hope not, if I hadn't asked you to marry me we might not be married with five kids and several grandkids today."   
  
  


Lana and Pete dropped by his house to get Jared's things before taking the long drive up to Grandville. Jared was sleeping quietly when they pulled up in front of his mother's house. Pete parked the car and lifted the sleeping toddler out the back. Lana got the stuff out of the trunk. She met Pete at the front of the car and then they both saw someone staring at them from across the car. He crossed the street. Jared woke up and saw the stranger too. And he smiled at him. 

"Dada," Jared said with a huge smile. 

"Hey little man," the guy said to the little boy. "You must be Pete Ross," the unknown guy said to Pete. 

"Yeah, I'm Pete. Who are you?" 

"Adam," he replied. 

Jared reached for Adam and Pete let him go to him. Lana could see he wasn't too happy about it. 

"Listen man. I know you stepped up to the plate with Jared and everything," Adam looked at the boy and then back at Pete. "I tried to even though he wasn't mine. And I love the kid, I still see him, but I think I should tell you, he may not be your son." 

"What? You can see he's not yours and Janet said--" 

"Janet lies, okay. You're right, she obviously couldn't pin him on me, so she had to pin him on someone. Since Brady already knew about you it was easier to keep that image of perfect little sister if she blamed it on her one mistake. Well, I'm telling you Janet had a whole lot more than one mistake." 

"Why are you telling me this?" 

"For a year I tried to love this boy like my own and believe his mother would change, but she didn't change and she isn't going to. She lives in some type of fantasy world. She's always the victim and her mistakes, they're always justified. Look, Jared might be yours, but don't trust her on that." 

Adam looked back at Jared and gave him a kiss on the head. He gave him back to Pete and walked away. Pete saw Jared wasn't too happy to see the man leave. 

"Maybe you should get a paternity test," Lana said. "I mean, I'm surprised you haven't already, I would have suggested it up front, but I didn't think it was my place. If Janet's telling the truth and you're the only possible father if Adam's eliminated, all a paternity test can do is prove he is your son." 

"I guess you're right." 

"Besides," Lana said. "You're going to need to establish him as your son legally just in case anything happens." 

"Which should be obvious to me," Pete said. "I mean this is the same thing I would tell anybody else in my situation." 

They walked up to the door together and rang the doorbell. Janet answered the door and invited them in. Pete carried Jared to his room and tucked him in. Then he joined the women in the living room. 

"Janet, I've been thinking," Pete told her. "We need to take a paternity test." 

"Why?" 

"Just to make it official. I want to legally establish I am Jared's father." 

"I would never deny you access to him." 

"I would just feel better about it. You said that when you were pregnant you knew it had to be me or Adam. And when he was born, it was obvious it wasn't Adam, so there's no problem here we just take the test to prove it." 

"I am not a slut," Janet replied defensively. 

Lana's heart dropped. She had to be lying or she wouldn't be getting so defensive. 

"I know who I slept with, okay," Janet snapped. 

"Maybe you do, but I don't," Pete replied. 

"What's that suppose to mean?" 

"I honestly barely know you. Jared already dealt with losing a dad when you and Adam broke up. I don't want to build a relationship with him and have it happen to him again." 

"You know what Pete, I don't need you if you're going to be like that." 

Just then Brady came through the front door. 

"Shit," Pete mumbled. 

"Let's just go," Lana said. 

Brady saw his sister was distressed. "What's going on?" 

"Mr. Pete Ross is trying to say I'm a slut and I don't know who my baby's father is." 

"What? I didn't say that." 

"Listen," Lana interrupted. "All he asked for was a paternity test." 

"He is the father," Janet yelled. 

"You calling my sister a liar?" Brady asked. 

"No, I'm saying I want to be sure," Pete told him. 

"And if she's sure, that shouldn't be a problem," Lana added. 

"You didn't lay down with him and have that baby, I did," Janet said. "So why don't you stay the fuck out of it." 

"Don't talk to her like that," Pete told her. 

"You think she's better than my sister?" Brady asked. 

"I didn't disrespect your sister Brady. I just don't want my friend disrespected." 

"Let's just get out of here," Lana said grabbing Pete's arm. 

"No, he wants to fight, so let's fight," Brady said putting up his fist. 

"I don't want to fight. I just want the truth." 

"Fine," the man replied. "But you ain't no better than Adam, so why don't you just get out of here. And don't come back." 

"I'm coming back if that's my son and I will find out if he is or not." 

Lana maneuvered Pete out the door after that comment. They climbed in the car, but Pete didn't drive off. He sat there for a moment mentally kicking himself. 

"I should have asked for one up front. I just spent the weekend bonding with a kid that may not be mine. I introduced him to my family." 

He shook his head. 

"I even lost my girlfriend." 

"Don't beat yourself up for doing the right thing," Lana said reaching over to touch his cheek. 

"And was the right thing accepting a kid I wasn't sure was mine or losing my girlfriend." 

"I vote for losing the girlfriend," Lana said with a smile. 

Lana reached for his hand and held it in hers.   
"I'm glad you were here." 

"What are we doing?" Lana asked. "With each other I mean." 

"I don't know," Pete said. "Right now, I don't know anything." 

"You're right, we'll just focus on finding out the truth about Jared and then we'll figure out everything else."   
Pete started the car and headed back to Smallville.   


**** 

It took a week for her to calm down, but Janet was finally allowed a DNA paternity test. The results seem to came to quick for Pete. When Lana knocked on his door that day, he answered the answer with the results on his face. So she knew before he even said the words. 

"Peter Ross, you are not the father," he said sadly. 

"I'm sorry," Lana said. 

She gave him a hug and he invited her inside. They made some tea and they sat together in silence for a long time. 

"Are you still going to see him?" Lana finally asked. 

"I don't know," he replied. "I don't want to make the situation any more confusing than it already is. I don't know who Jared's biological father is, but Adam's the one Jared really sees as daddy anyway and I don't want to confuse that anymore than it's already been confused. He's only two, he'll forget me." 

"But you won't." 

"Well, I was looking forward to it," Pete said. "Being someone special to someone, a dad. Not just a dad, his dad, you know?" 

"One day you will be a dad Pete and he'll be your son and you'll know it the moment you look at him. You won't have to settle for weekends and the occasional holiday, because it's the best thing to do since you and the mother aren't together. And you'll be the only dad to that little boy, from his first breath to his last, and you'll love his mother and you'll have all those important moments with him together." 

"You think so?" 

"Yes," Lana replied. 

"Come here," Pete said. 

"Why?" 

"Just come here," Pete said. 

She walked over to him and he pulled her into his lap and held her. She returned his embrace, holding his head against her chest. Then she turned up his face towards hers. She leaned forward and kissed him. His lips were so soft, his kiss delicate. There lips parted company and then Pete looked up at her, caressing her face with his hand. 

"Are you here because you feel sorry for me?" 

Lana was taken aback. The question came out of nowhere. "Is that what you think?" 

"Seems like we only kiss like this when things go wrong." 

"Is it so hard to believe that I care about you, Pete," Lana said. 

"I want to believe it, because," Pete sighed. "I love you. " 

"What did you say?" Lana said standing up. 

"Not the response I was expecting," Pete said standing up also. 

"Pete, we haven't even really... I mean I like you, but isn't it a little soon for 'I love you'." 

"It's okay," Pete said. "I understand." 

"Pete, I want to explore whatever this is," Lana told him. "Believe me I do. I just think we should stop and take a breath before we start saying things like that." 

"Okay," Pete replied. "I think I need some time alone anyway." 

"But you'll call me when you're ready to talk." 

"Yeah," Pete replied. "We're friends right."   
"Yeah, I'll go," Lana said. "She gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked away."   


**** 

Lana gave Pete a couple of weeks. He didn't call and the most she got was a hello when she ran into him on the street twice. She missed him and almost picked up the phone a few times to make the call, but couldn't get herself to go through with it. Finally she decided to go see him and make him talk to her.   
When Lana arrived at Pete's house he was loading some packages into the back of his car. Lana approached him, but he didn't seem to notice her. 

"Pete, how you doing?" Lana asked. 

"Okay," Pete replied. 

"Why have you been avoiding me?" 

"I didn't know what to say," Pete told. "I mean I already embarrassed myself." 

"Stop running away Pete," Lana told him. 

"What?" 

"Maybe I'm not ready to say I love you yet, but I told you I want to be with you. Things were going well and I don't see a reason to back of it. Listen, I know you're not use to putting your emotions on the line and so you must have really meant what you said. Unless you mean it anymore." 

"Of course I meant it," Pete said. "I still mean it." 

"So lets do it," Lana said. 

"Okay, fine," Pete replied. "What are you doing for Christmas." 

"Me and Chloe are doing Christmas with Mr. Sullivan." 

"In Smallville?" 

"Metropolis," Lana replied. 

"Well my parents asked and I was going to invite you, but you already have plans, so..." 

"What about New Years?" 

"I got an invite to Lex's thing in Metropolis." 

"Me too," Lana said. "So maybe we could go together." 

"Lex will probably invite Clark too," Pete told her. 

"And?" 

"You talk to him often?" 

"Phone calls, the occasional visit," Lana told him. 

"Yeah me too. Have you ever mentioned us to him?" 

"When he brings it up. But Pete, I don't need his approval to go out with you." 

"I know, it's just you're Lana and he's Clark." 

"I'll always care about Clark," Lana told him. "But we're never going to know what we can be unless you let go of the Clark thing." 

"Yeah, I know." 

"So why don't we say New Years is a date," Lana said. 

"Alright, it's a date," Pete replied. "I guess this makes it our first official date." 

"Seems a little late doesn't it," Lana asked. 

"No, it's right on time," Pete replied. 

-End Chapter 2- 

3-24-2003 


	3. Washington

Title: Unexpected  
Author: Empress V.   
E-mail: empressvader01@hotmail.com   
Pairing: Lana/Pete  
Summary: Lana and Pete take there relationship into the next step.   
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 3: Washington  
  
  
The Lex Luthor New Years celebration was the central spot alive in Metropolis that night. It was still early when Lana and Pete arrived. They connected with Clark, Lois, and Chloe almost as soon as they got there. When the ladies disappeared to talk, it gave Pete the opportunity he wanted to talk to Clark.   
  
"So are you and Lana here together," Clark asked. "Or is this another arrival under the cloak of friendship."  
  
"No, we're here together this time."  
  
"That's great," Clark told him. But his face didn't seems to say the same.  
  
"I figure, things are going great with you and Lois, so it's cool with you."  
  
"I told you. Lana and I..."  
  
"I know, you're over, but I don't want to date her if you're still in love with her."  
  
"Pete, I don't have anything to do with this."  
  
"But you do, I need to know, Do you still love her? And don't tell me you love Lois or give me that I'll always care about her line, because I've heard it. I want a straight answer."  
  
"Of course I love her Pete. She was my first love and that will always be a part of me, but I have moved on." Clark put a hand on his friends shoulder. "Pete, believe me when I say, if this is right for you, I want you to go for it."  
  
"So I have your okay on pursing this thing with Lana."  
  
"What, do I have to write it in blood? Yes, Pete, I'm fine with it, I'm happy for you."  
  
"Alright," Pete replied.   
  
The two of them shared a friendly embrace. As the embrace broke, Pete noticed Lana had returned.   
  
"Pete, can we talk for a minute," Lana asked.   
  
"Sure," Pete said stepping away. "See you later Clark."  
  
Pete and Lana walked across the room.   
  
"What was that Pete?" Lana asked.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I caught some of what you said to Clark and I want to know when decided my word wasn't good though and you needed permission from Clark to date me? I told you I wanted to be with you, wasn't that enough."  
  
"I was just trying to make sure I wasn't stepping on any toes. Clark is my best friend."  
  
"I know that Pete, but you act like I belong to him. You don't need his okay, you need mine and you had that."  
  
"I know that, in my logical mind I know. But nobody was closer to Clark then me and even if another girl happen to turn his head for five seconds, two seconds later he was back to being in love with Lana Lang, to only having eyes for Lana Lang."  
  
"I had no control over that."  
  
"No you didn't," Pete sighed. "But... you know me Lana, I'm not a guy who holds back when he sees a girl he wants. I take my shot and if it works, it works. If doesn't, well then I move on."  
  
"I don't see your point. If Clark didn't give you his approval you would have moved on?"   
  
"No, my point is--" Pete paused to gather his words, it was obvious Lana was angry so he chose his words carefully. "The point is it didn't matter before, but it does now. And just maybe I'm a little... scared because if we are more than friends it will be more than just a 'good time'. And if it doesn't work, it won't be like before."  
  
Lana smiled. "Scared? Did Pete Ross just admit a fear of intimacy?"  
  
"Nah," Pete replied playfully. "Pete Ross would never admit anything like that."  
  
Lana laughed. She took Pete's face between her hands.   
  
"Listen Pete, I want to be with you."  
  
"Okay, I hear you," Pete replied. "Clark isn't in this. Now can I talk you into a dance?"  
  
Lana and Pete slipped out on the dance floor just as Lex Luthor entered the building. Lex made his way to the bar where Chloe was getting a drink.   
  
"Miss Sullivan, I haven't seen you since that charity event in Gotham City around Easter," Lex told her.   
  
"It's good to see you too Lex," Chloe replied. "How's Eden?"  
  
"Eden?" He asked confused. "Oh yes, the lawyer."  
  
"Yeah, the one that was ready to tear my head off for having drinks with you."  
  
"She's moved on."  
  
"You mean you've moved on."  
  
"The point is she's no longer in the picture." Lex surveyed the ballroom. "That's an interesting new development," Lex said nodding toward Pete and Lana on the dance floor.  
  
"New? It's more like it's about time. Lana and Pete have been dancing around each other for awhile now."  
  
"I always thought--"  
  
"I know, Lana and Clark, but--" Chloe gestured toward Clark who was deep in conversation with Lois. "I totally thought that infatuation wouldn't last, but I guess I was wrong."  
  
"The future is never what you expect," Lex replied with a shrug. "Now, Miss Sullivan, may I interest you in a dance."  
  
"As long as you promise your flavor of the month won't come storming in here ready to tear my head off."  
  
  
  
  
A few hours later into the night, Chloe and Lana joined up again. As they shared girl talk Pete slipped off. He was surprised to see Lex Luthor join him.   
  
"So you've won the heart of Miss Lang?" Lex asked.   
  
"No offense Luthor, but why do you care?" Pete asked.   
  
"Just interested in the lives of my old friends," Lex replied.   
  
"We were never friends."  
  
"Listen, I heard about the whole thing with the little boy and the woman who tried to pin him on you."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I've been there, so I know what it feels like to be misled in that way."  
  
"You have no idea."  
  
"No, you have no idea how often women like that prey on powerful men." Lex paused. "I bet Lana was there holding your hand when you found out everything," Lex replied.   
  
"Again, I don't think that's any of your business," Pete replied.   
  
"You're right, it's not." Silence hung between them again. "Listen, I've been looking for a way to change the Luthor image. It's been a goal of mine for most of my life, to reshape the cold image carved by my father."  
  
"What does this have to do with me?"  
  
"A lot. I heard about your involvement in the governor's race last year, you were in charge of the winning candidates campaign."  
  
"I went to school with Ben, I knew he was the right man for the job. He just needed help getting other people to see that."  
  
"Yes," Lex said with a grin. "That's what I mean. You're a king maker."  
  
"I still don't get your point Luthor?"  
  
"I want you as an ally, you'll help me and I'll help. I have some contacts who--"  
  
"No thanks, any dealings with the Luthors come with a price and I'm not going to pay it."  
  
Pete turned and saw Lana and Clark together. They were talking and Lana was laughing. He tried to fight the small inkling of illogical jealousy that he pretended didn't exist. He knew they were just friends, they had both said that more than once. But he was Clark and she was Lana.   
  
"You want to give her the world, don't you Ross? You have that same look Clark use to have when he saw her with the quarterback."  
  
"Clark's my friend and it's none of your business."  
  
"Yes, right, of course he's your friend, but he's also the man you have to live up to, he's your competitor."   
  
"I'm not competing with my friend."  
  
"But you are, you can help it, it's a primal instinct."  
  
Lex slipped a card into Pete's pocket and walked away. Pete thought about taking it out and tearing it up, but for some reason he didn't. Then Lana left Clark's side and walked across the room to him.   
  
"What did Lex want?"  
  
"Nothing," Pete replied.   
  
"Well, it's time for the countdown and I want my kiss," Lana said taking his hand.   
  
They walked into the center of the room. He rang in the new year with a kiss from Lana and a Luthor in his pocket.   
  
  
********  
  
They started off the New Year as a couple. His mother seemed to bring up marriage every time she visited and they both laughed it off. But the idea had Pete thinking more and more about his career.   
  
Before Lana and Pete knew it, it was February. Lana was greeted with a huge bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolate kisses on Valentines day. They were brought to her door by Pete himself that morning.   
  
"Thank you," Lana said giving him a hug.   
  
She invited him in and they sat down in the living room.   
  
"You coming to the Valentines dinner with my parents and the siblings tonight?" Pete asked.  
  
"Of course," Lana said getting a vase for her flowers.   
  
"Listen Lana, I've been thinking about things."  
  
"What things?" Lana said coming into the living room.   
  
"Well, my career for one, you remember that business trip two weeks ago."  
  
"Yeah," Lana said sitting beside him.  
  
"Well, I didn't explain everything to you. It was an interview for a job. I'm thinking of moving to D.C. and I want you to come with me."  
  
"What?" Lana questioned. "Why would you move? I thought you liked being so close to your family."  
  
"I do, I just want more, more for me, more for us."  
  
"This is a big decision Pete, I mean we're just really starting out and I'm starting to feel settled again. And you want me to uproot myself again and move. I don't know if I can do that."  
  
"We're not strangers, we've known each other a long time. And I don't want to do the long distance thing."  
  
"So you already accepted the job?"  
  
"Yeah, I did."  
  
"You could at least have talked to me about it first."  
  
"Maybe I shouldn't have bought this up today," Pete said to himself.  
  
"You're right, you should have bought it up before you went on the interview."  
  
"I didn't know what I was going to do until I met the guy."  
  
"But things are great right now, why do you want to move away?"  
  
"Ever since the whole Jared thing, I've been thinking about the future and kids and family and what I really want out of life, what kind of example I would want to be if I had a family. I've settled Lana, I know there's more out there for me to accomplish, but I've settled for a safe job in my hometown. I don't want that anymore."   
  
"I just don't know if I can move to Washington with you Pete."  
  
"Why not, what's holding you here? Clark?"  
  
"Why do you always bring him up?" Lana asked. "This is not about Clark, okay. This is a big deal Pete. I mean it isn't just moving, it's us moving away together. Don't you think it's kind of soon. Officially, we've only been together a about a month and a half."  
  
"But unofficially we've been heading here a long time, so I didn't think it was that big of a deal to re-locate."  
  
"We're still figuring this thing out and what would the living arrangement be, would we live together? Would we share a bed? We haven't exactly gotten there yet in our relationship."   
  
"So basically, you're saying you don't want to go?"  
  
"Look, if you feel this job is something you need to do, do it for you. I don't want to be the one holding you back, but I just don't know if I can go with you."  
  
"So what happens to us then?"  
  
"I don't know, I just don't know."  
  
"I really shouldn't have brought this up today," Pete said to himself.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
That evening Lana and Pete arrived at the Ross house. It was the usual warm environment, but lacking children, they were all with babysitters. There were four couples. Pete's brother and sister with there spouses, his parents, and Lana and Pete themselves. Pete's father, the big cook in the household had the men in the kitchen helping prepare dinner for the ladies.   
  
Lana was sitting with Pete's sister in the living room while this was going on.   
  
"Did you hear about Pete's new job?" Lana asked his sister.   
  
"Yeah, he said he was going to ask you to come with him. I'm so happy for you."  
  
"I don't know if I'm going."  
  
"What?" she said shocked. "I thought you and Pete were getting serious?"  
  
"It's only been about a month and a half."  
  
"It's been longer than that. God, Mom has been planning your wedding for over a year. She's been predicting your engagement for longer than that."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes, I know you love my brother."   
  
"I'm not so sure. I mean I care about your brother, don't get me wrong. I just want to be sure. And I don't want to up and move to D.C. without knowing it's right."  
  
"Oh," she said sounding disappointed. "Well, Pete's sure about you. He told me so. He's really opened up with you, I can see it in his eyes. He's serious about you and if you're not sure about him, maybe I'm wrong this time."  
  
Pete's father stepped into the room. "Ladies, it's time to eat."  
  
Everyone joined the men in the dinning room. The romantic day of the year turned into the most uncomfortable dinner of the year.   
  
  
  
  
*******  
  
  
Lana had settled for continuing the relationship with Pete long distance. He seemed to enjoy his new job, but he asked her to join him out there. He came down for holidays and Lana heard Mrs. Ross was still planning the wedding. But she felt the strain on there relationship. She was still often invited to join the Ross family, even when Pete wasn't around. In July she went up to Metropolis to visit, Chloe was in town. It was also an excuse to check in with Clark.  
  
She and Chloe met at the Planet, because they wanted to see if they could get Clark to join them, but he was busy. So after a short talk with him, they went out for coffee.   
  
"Have you talked to Pete recently?" Chloe suddenly asked.   
  
"Of course, we talk all the time," Lana said.   
  
"I got the impression things aren't going well."  
  
"They're fine," Lana replied.   
  
"You're lying," Chloe said. "Why didn't you go with him?"  
  
"Why should I uproot my life for a guy. You wouldn't do that."  
  
"No, I wouldn't. And I don't think you should go for Pete, I think you should go for you. I mean, what do you have keeping you here?"  
  
"Well, there's the Talon."  
  
"I thought you were thinking of selling it to Sam Rainer. He's been running the place for how long now?"  
  
"I think you're staying for Clark."  
  
"Not you too."  
  
"Clark has always worshiped you and you like it. He's some kind of dependable safety net to you Lana and you like having him close. You also like Pete's family and the Kents for the same reason. You hold onto the Talon, even though you're barely there, because it's a safety net. You liked working with Henry Small for the same reason. Even when my dad moved to Metropolis, he was still a safety net. See, It's not just Clark, you're surrounded by safety nets. Even Pete's family was a safety net. And you're scared of dealing with Pete one on one without those safety nets around you to catch you if you fall."  
  
"That's crazy."  
  
"You never had to deal with Pete one on one, no Clark, no me, no Ross Family there as cheerleaders. And it scares you. You told me once you care about him."  
  
"I do, I just feel like we're growing apart."  
  
"Yeah, but you don't have to."  
  
"I can't believe you're convincing me to go after Pete."  
  
"Hey, if you don't want it, don't go."  
  
"But I do."  
  
  
  
  
Pete threw his keys down beside the phone as he entered his empty apartment. He checked his messages. There was one from his mother, one from a woman he met the other day. And one from Lana. That was the one that made him pause.   
  
"Hey Pete," she said. "If you call me at home when you get in, I won't be there. I've made a decision about us and I hope you're okay with my decision."  
  
"I knew it was coming," Pete said hitting the stop button on his machine.   
  
Just then he heard the doorbell ring and went to the door. He was surprised to find Lana at the door. He couldn't hide the big grin on his face.   
  
"What are you doing here. I know you didn't come all this way to say good-bye."  
  
"Good-bye?"  
  
"Wasn't that the break-up message you left on my machine?"  
  
"No, I want to be here with you."   
  
Pete peaked out into the hall and saw she had bags with her.   
  
"I finally sold the Talon to Sam Rainer. He's been running the place for so long it doesn't seem like mine anymore and --"  
  
"Wait," Pete interrupted.   
  
"What?"  
  
"Just--"   
  
Pete forgot whatever he was going to say at that moment and pulled her into his arms. He trapped her in a kiss and Lana melted into him. She had missed his warmth. Whatever had fallen off between them seemed to melt away at that moment.   
  
  
  
Pete rushed into the hospital and saw his friend standing with the doctor. He was dressed in his heroic red and blue.  
  
"Hey Cl--," Pete began and stopped himself. "Superman."  
  
Clark turned and saw Pete. He walked over to him with the doctor.   
  
"Doctor, this is the father."  
  
"How's my wife... the baby."  
  
"You're wife's okay," the doctor said. "And your son... he's coming along. He's in the NICU."  
  
"Son? I have a little boy?"  
  
"Congratulations," Superman said. "Clark will be by to see you three later, but I have to go."  
  
"Okay," Pete said.   
  
Superman sped off.  
  
"Let's go see your wife," the doctor said leading Pete to the NICU.  
  
Pete saw his wife sitting watching the tiny baby in front of her. Lana's expression was hard to read. A mixture of joy at seeing her child and pain knowing he may not survive.   
  
"Hey," Pete said approaching her.   
  
"Hey honey," Lana said. "Come meet your little boy."  
  
Pete came over and looked at the tiny infant.   
  
"Is he okay?" Pete asked. "He's so small."  
  
"He's coming along," Lana replied.   
  
"I'm sorry I wasn't--"  
  
"It's okay," Lana told him. "We're okay. He's beautiful isn't he?" Lana asked reaching in to touch his little hand."  
  
"Yeah," Pete replied. "You were right?"  
  
"When?"  
  
"When you said I would have a son and I would love his mother as much as I love him."  
  
Lana wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.   
  
"I love you," he said.   
  
Lana simply smiled and kissed him. It was how she always responded to those words. A marriage, a child, and she still had yet to say them back.   
  
  
****  
  
  
Baby Clark had come early, so there had been no time for a baby shower. So a welcoming party was planned for all there friends and family the week after Clark got out of the hospital. All there friends were there, all there family.   
  
Pete kept the baby in his arms all day. He had turned into super dad with Clark. Every second he was home, Clark was in his arms. He fed him, he changed him, he bathed him. His brother finally convinced him to let him hold the baby.  
  
"This is Pete Junior right here," his brother said. "We know this one's yours."  
  
Pete smiled proudly. It was then Lana saw Chloe come in. She was one of the last to arrive and she was with Lex. She left his side to come over to Lana, but Lana was watching the way Pete was suddenly looking at Lex. Pete took his son from his brother, gave him a kiss on the head and walked him over to Lana. He gave her the baby and then disappeared outside with Lex. Clark came to Lana's side.   
  
"What's going on with Lex and Pete?" Clark asked.   
  
"I don't know," Lana replied. "Don't worry about it Clark," Lana said with a false smile. "Have you held Clark tonight?"  
  
"No, not tonight," he said taking the baby in his arms.   
  
"He probably just wants to thank him for that help Lex gave him last year."  
  
"You're probably right," Lana said.   
  
  
  
Outside, Pete was doing anything but thanking Lex.   
  
"Nice boy you got there," Lex said.   
  
"Yeah he is and thanks to you I missed him coming into the world."  
  
"We all have our debts to pay," Lex replied.   
  
"Not me, I'm out of it."  
  
"Have you forgotten who got you out of trouble last year, it was me."  
  
"Have you forgotten who got me into it. I don't want to have anything else to do with you Lex. I have a family now."  
  
Pete turned to go inside.   
  
"I'd hate to see that little boy deprived of a father because some information accidentally leaked into the wrong place."  
  
"Is that a threat?" Pete asked turning back toward him.  
  
"No, I'm just saying sometimes bad things happen. And I'd hate for bad things to happen to your family. Especially since I can provide a lot of better alternatives."  
  
"What do you want Luthor?"  
  
  
  
  
Late that night Lana walked around cleaning up the wrapping paper left over from the gifts of there party guest. Then she collected some clothes she'd gotten for Clark and headed into the nursery. She found Pete holding his infant son in his arms speaking quietly to him. He told him how much he cared, how great his life was going to be, and then he apologized for being imperfect. There was something about the way he held him, the gentle way he spoke, that tore at Lana's heart. And she was washed over with this new feeling, love. She'd dated and married this man only sure that she cared for him, but this moment she felt something different and overwhelming.   
  
Pete saw her standing there. She put the clothes on top of the babies' dresser and walked up to him.   
  
"I love you," she said.   
  
"I know," he replied.   
  
"I didn't know," Lana said. "Not until now." Lana looked down at their son. "He won't care you know, that you're imperfect, he'll love you anyway because you're his father."  
  
"And what about you? You know how deep I'm in with Luthor."  
  
"It doesn't matter," Lana replied. "I love you. Whatever happens, I'll stick by you."

They stood in silence for a moment.   
  
"I'm glad we waited," Lana said.  
  
"Waited for what?"  
  
"To become friends, to become more. It didn't happen in an instant, it happened in it's own time, when it was right. And that's why, no matter what happens with Lex or with anything, we'll be okay."  
  
Pete reached up and touched Lana's cheek. She fell into his hand and kissed his palm. Then he pulled her close and they shared a long deep kiss. And for that moment, the world was complete.   
  
-The End-


End file.
